Operation Menu

Operation Menu was a US aerial bombing campaign which occurred from 18 March 1969 to 26 May 1970 during the Vietnam War.

Following the unsuccessful but costly North Vietnamese Tet 1969 offensive, President Richard Nixon decided against angering the anti-war movement in the United States by not resuming the bombing of North Vietnam. Instead, he decided to launch a secret bombing campaign of NVA and Viet Cong bases in eastern Cambodia. While the United States had occasionally launched highly-classified tactical airstrikes on Cambodia since 1965, Nixon authorized the carpet bombing of eastern Cambodia. The American public and several members of Nixon's own team were unaware of the bombing until The New York Times published an article on 8 May 1969 which exposed the bombing raids. Nixon denied any bombing was taking place and ordered that illegal wiretaps be placed on the telephones of 17 reporters and government officials in an effort to find out who had leaked the story.